Starwood Property Trust (NYSE:STWD) Raised to “Hold” at Zacks Research

Starwood Property Trust (NYSE:STWD) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $19.00 price objective on shares of Starwood Property Trust in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Starwood Property Trust from $22.00 to $21.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Starwood Property Trust from $20.00 to $19.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of Starwood Property Trust from $20.00 to $19.50 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Starwood Property Trust from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $19.70.

Starwood Property Trust Stock Up 1.1%

NYSE STWD opened at $16.80 on Thursday. Starwood Property Trust has a 1-year low of $16.54 and a 1-year high of $21.05. The company has a market capitalization of $6.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.50, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.98. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $17.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $17.78. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.31.

Starwood Property Trust (NYSE:STWD) last issued its earnings results on Friday, May 8th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $205.55 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $496.25 million. Starwood Property Trust had a return on equity of 7.91% and a net margin of 18.11%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 22.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.45 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Starwood Property Trust will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Starwood Property Trust

In related news, Director Jeffrey G. Dishner sold 7,013 shares of Starwood Property Trust stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.13, for a total value of $120,132.69. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 168,152 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,880,443.76. The trade was a 4.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 5.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Starwood Property Trust

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its position in shares of Starwood Property Trust by 106.1% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,449 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 746 shares in the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co increased its holdings in shares of Starwood Property Trust by 154.4% in the fourth quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,496 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 908 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Starwood Property Trust in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new position in Starwood Property Trust in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Starwood Property Trust during the 4th quarter worth $53,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.82% of the company’s stock.

About Starwood Property Trust

Starwood Property Trust (NYSE: STWD) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust that specializes in originating, acquiring and managing commercial mortgage loans and other real estate-related investments. The company’s portfolio spans a variety of asset classes, including senior mortgages, mezzanine debt, preferred equity and direct equity investments in commercial properties. By focusing on both debt and equity capital solutions, Starwood Property Trust seeks to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns for its shareholders through a combination of current income and capital appreciation.

Operating primarily in the United States, Starwood Property Trust deploys capital across a broad range of property types, such as multifamily residential, office, retail, hotel and industrial.